Dhaka, Male ink 4 MoUs, agree to sign PTA

Bangladesh and the Maldives have signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to boost cooperation between the two countries in different areas including fisheries and cultural affairs on Thursday.
The MOUs are on joint commission for comprehensive cooperation (JCC), on bilateral foreign office consultations (FOC), on cooperation in the field of fisheries and pelagic fishing and on cultural exchange programme (CEP) for 2022-2025.
The MoUs were signed at the Prime Minister's Office in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Maldives also expressed their willingness to work jointly with Bangladesh at the ICJ (International Court of Justice) to protect the rights of Rohingyas.
All these are the outcome of the bilateral talks between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the PMO. The signing ceremony was held following talk between the two leaders.
Before the formal talks, the two leaders also held a t�te-�-t�te for some time.
"On Rohingya issue, the Maldives President said his country wants to work jointly with Bangladesh at the ICJ to protect the rights of Rohingyas," PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told reporters after the talks quoting the Maldives President.
Bangladesh and the Maldives today agreed to sign the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) aimed at increasing the trade and commerce between the two countries.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came up with a consensus regarding signing     of the PTA during their bilateral talks at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in the capital.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister proposed signing the PTA for mutual benefits if both the countries agree and the Maldives President also showed his keenness to this end.
 "Bangladesh is a potential trade partner of the Maldives and the PTA will be signed in the near the future," Ihsanul said, quoting the Maldives President.
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday to join the celebration of 50 years of Bangladesh's Independence and the birth centenary of the Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and deliver his speech as a guest of honour at National Parade Ground.  

"Bangladesh is a potential trade partner of the Maldives and the PTA will be signed in the near the future," Ihsanul added.
Both the leader discussed Rohingya issues and reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and agreed to expand mutual cooperation in multiple prospective areas, including trade, commerce, investment, youth development, healthcare, education and pharmaceuticals.
President Solih appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visionary leadership in transforming Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041, he added.
During the talks Sheikh Hasina called upon the Maldives to import varieties of CSLM to address bilateral trade issues in details.
Both sides agreed to expedite the finalisation of the proposed agreement on customs cooperation and the signing of the agreement on avoidance of double taxation and decided to establish a direct commercial shipping link between Male and the three seaports of Bangladesh through signing a shipping agreement.
The Maldivian President Solih said all Bangladeshi expatriates in the Maldives will be vaccinated free of cost, which the Prime Minister appreciated, Ihsanul said.
She proposed to consider recruiting Bangladeshi doctors and nurses in the Maldives to mitigate its deficit of medical professionals.
Solih appreciated significant contributions being made by Bangladeshi expatriate workers in the two economies.
On climate change issue, the two leaders agreed to closely work together in various multilateral platforms including the UN and climate vulnerable forums.
The Maldives President said Bangladesh is a potential trade partner of the Maldives. The Maldives will assist Bangladesh in collecting Tuna fish from deep sea. He said that there would be tourism and air link cooperation between potential investors of both the countries.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam, Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were present at the meeting.
From the Maldives side, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail, Secretary of Foreign Relations Sabra Ibrahim Noordeen, and Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed were present. His wife, First Lady Madam Fazna Ahmed, is also accompanying him.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen meet with the Maldivian President at his hotel and urged Maldives to introduce direct shipping line between Chattogram and the capital of Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago 700-km away from mainland Asia
During the call, President Solih congratulated the people of Bangladesh on the centenary of the birth of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the country's golden jubilee of independence, celebrated this year.
President Solih also expressed his gratitude to the Bangladeshi government for the continued support extended to the Maldives in various areas, including the most recent assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that Covid-19 is the most pressing problem for all of us at this time and noted that the Bangladeshi government's decision to provide the Maldives with generous grant aid as well as two deployments of the Bangladeshi Air Force's medical teams had played a prominent role in managing the Covid-19 situation in the Maldives more effectively.
Discussions at the meeting focused on fostering bilateral ties and developmental corporation, especially in commerce, human resource development, international cooperation, and mutual areas of interest.  Dr Momen said it was their pleasure to assist the Maldives in managing the Covid-19 situation.
President Solih said his government would ensure the welfare and wellbeing of Bangladeshi citizens residing in the Maldives.
The Maldivian President visited the National Mausoleum at Savar, paid homage by placing a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu, the greatest Bengali of all times, in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi Road No 32 in early Wednesday morning where he was received by Sheikh Rehana, the younger daughter of Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh President at the Credential Hall of the Bangabhaban at 7:00pm on Thursday, signed the visitors' book at Bangabhaban.
Later, the Maldivian President joined the dinner and cultural programme hosted by President Abdul Hamid at Durbar Hall Ground of the Bangabhaban and scheduled to leave Dhaka on Thursday night.